Slaughter's Mad Dash: Difference between revisions

Game 7 was played in [[Sportsman's Park]] on October 15, 1946. After Red Sox center fielder [[Dom DiMaggio]] drove in two runs in the top of the eighth, the score was tied 3–3.<ref name=retro>{{cite web|title=Retrosheet Boxscore: St. Louis Cardinals 4, Boston Red Sox 3 | url= http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1946/B10150SLN1946.htm |website=Retrosheet |access-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref name=bbref /> DiMaggio pulled a hamstring during the play and was forced to leave the game;<ref>{{cite web|title=Former Red Sox great Dom DiMaggio dies at 92 | url= https://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/al/redsox/2009-05-08-dom-dimaggio-obit_N.htm |website=USA Today | date=8 May 2009 | access-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref> hehis place was replacedtaken by a [[pinch runner]], [[Leon Culberson]], who alsoremained replacedin the game as DiMaggio's replacement in center field in the bottom of the inning.

Cardinal right fielder [[Enos Slaughter]] led off with a single off of pitcher [[Bob Klinger]]. After a failed [[bunt (baseball)|bunt]] attempt by [[Whitey Kurowski]] and a flyout to left field by [[Del Rice]], Slaughter found himself still on first base with two outs. Left fielder [[Harry Walker]] stepped to the plate and, after the count reached two balls and one strike, Cardinals manager [[Eddie Dyer]] called for a [[Hit and run (baseball)|hit-and-run]].

AccordingWith tothe legendhit-and-run on, Slaughter was running on the pitch, and with two outs, there was no reason to hold up when Walker lined the ballpitch tointo left-center field. Culberson - not nearly the defensive wizard that was the man he replaced in the field, whereeither Culbersonwith glove or arm - fielded the ball., As Culbersonthen threw a relay to shortstop [[Johnny Pesky]],. Slaughter rounded third base, ignoredwhere legend says he ran through third base coach [[Mike González (catcher)|Mike González]]'s stop sign, and continuedheaded for home, while a stunned Pesky "held the ball", hesitating when he should have fired home immediately, ultimately costing the Red Sox the seventh and deciding game of the World Series.

Much of this description, ishowever, stilllacks aevidence. matter of contention.While Somesome claimclaimed that Pesky, assuming that Slaughter would not be running home, checked Walker at first base instead of immediately firing home, whileand others contendcontended that Pesky was so shocked to see Slaughter on his way to score that he had a mental lapse thatwhich accounted for the delay., Atnone theof samethese time,claims thehave withstood later investigative journalism. The entire notion that Pesky unnecessarily held the ball has been called into serious question; replaysthe showreplay nodoes not seem to show such hesitation, and other contemporaneous accounts suggest that Pesky promptly executed his relay throw to home plate. In addition, numerousseveral accountsreports have it that the third base coach was in fact frantically waving Slaughter around third. Either way, afterno astop weaksign andin rushedevidence. throwEither homeway, Slaughter scored just as Red Sox catcher [[Roy Partee]] caught itPesky's relay up the line from home plate.<ref>https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/pesky-the-man-the-myth-the-truth-d3c24bd5f81c</ref><ref>https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/johnny-pesky/</ref><ref>https://bostonbaseballhistory.com/mr-red-sox-johnny-pesky/</ref><ref>https://baseballguru.com/jholway/analysisjholway31.html</ref><ref>https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-man-behind-peskys-pole/</ref>

The run put the Cardinals ahead 4–3 and proved to be the winning run of the decisive seventh game. In Boston, "Pesky held the ball" became a catchphrase, although a soft throw from Culberson (playing in place of the strong-armed DiMaggio) maywas have beencertainly more to blame. Slaughter himself later admitted that if DiMaggio had still been in the game, he never would've have thought to try forto homescore on the plateplay.<ref>{{cite web|title=Slaughter, Pesky, and the Power of Myth | first=John | last=Holway | url= http://baseballguru.com/jholway/analysisjholway31.html |website=Baseball Guru | access-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Pesky held the ball' a part of BoSox lore | url= http://www.espn.com/mlb/fallclassic/news/story?id=1907568 |website=ESPN | date=22 Oct 2004| access-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://archive.boston.com/sports/baseball/2012/08/13/red-sox-legend-johnny-pesky-dies/4FIyv55aZMCrkTUhkQTsTO/story.html| title=Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky dies| work=The Boston Globe | date=15 Aug 2012 | access-date=11 Oct 2016}}</ref> In St. Louis, a statue depicting Slaughter sliding across home plate at the end of the play stands outside the current ballpark.<ref>{{cite web|title=Enos Slaughter | url= http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/statues/STUS_Slaughter_Enos.htm |website=The Sporting Statues Project | access-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="Country" Slaughter hit .300 in 19-year career | url= http://www.espn.com/classic/obit/s/2002/0812/1416994.html |website=ESPN Classic | date=16 Aug 2002| access-date=9 Oct 2016}}</ref> This play was named #10 on the [[Sporting News]] list of Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments in 1999.<ref>{{cite web |title=Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments by The Sporting News |url=https://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/likodak.shtml |website=baseball-almanac.com |access-date=20 April 2023}}</ref>